


Cyberpunk: July 2018 BVDN

by musicofthespheres



Series: Bulma Vegeta Drabble Night [4]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: AU, BVDN, Cyberpunk, F/M, Gen, tpth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-28
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-06-17 12:40:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15461577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicofthespheres/pseuds/musicofthespheres
Summary: A continuing story over 10 prompts.





	Cyberpunk: July 2018 BVDN

**1\. Dystopia**

The haze settled over everything like ash. Vegeta stared out his fourth-story apartment window out over the desolate city. Once, it was full of energy, thriving. Now, its citizens were afraid to step outside lest they be snatched away by shadowy government officials, never to be seen again. Vegeta swirled his whiskey around in its glass and took a contemplative sip. Idiots, the lot of them. As if a closed door would be able to stop the likes of him. 

In the building across the way, Bulma busied herself with preparations. She’d make her strike tonight. She watched through her short-range scope as her target stepped away from his balcony doors and turned his back to her. She smiled to herself. He wouldn’t even know what hit him. 

 

**2\. Replicant**

The whiskey didn’t burn like it used to. Vegeta figured he’d just gotten used to it. He paced around his apartment, stretching his legs, before returning to his post like a sentinel. He felt the click before the glass shattered. Diving to the ground, arms covering his neck, his knees and elbows dug into the shards that blew inward and blanketed his apartment. After only a few seconds, his internal sensors told him it was safe to peek.

A flash of blue disappeared around the corner in the building across the way. She hadn’t even waited to see if her bullet hit its mark; she thought she didn’t have to. 

She’d regret her complacency. 

 

**3\. Synthesizer**

Somebody on the streets below screamed as he lept the gap from his balcony to hers. A small crowd gathered despite themselves. Even curfew couldn’t keep away the gawkers. 

Vegeta landed on his shoulder and rolled to his feet, never losing momentum. Something reverberated on the floor below him, sending out pulses like the heavily-modulated tones of a synthesizer. The bitch thought she could trap him with a sonic turret? Unlikely. He grinned. All she’d done was given away her position. He had half a mind to crash through the ceiling just over her head, see how she’d like that. 

 

**4\. Rebellion**

Something snapped inside of Vegeta when he saw her face. Flashes of memories: screaming, the sensation of being underwater, wrist and ankle restraints, being strapped to a table. They overloaded his synapses and he fell to his knees, hands clutching his skull. 

“Wake up, Vegeta,” an ethereal voice whispered. 

He shook his head. 

Then, multiple voices at once. _Vegeta, come back to us, this isn’t real._

“Vegeta,” she said, snapping him back to reality. 

He was prone. 

She had a gun pointed at his head. “I didn’t have to miss.” 

He believed her. 

“Come with me, you’ll be safe.” 

Every part of him screamed to end her now. He reached out and took her hand. 

 

**5\. Virtual Reality**

Reality. 

What a funny concept. Vegeta couldn’t remember the last time he’d experienced true… _reality_. His world had been a series of ones and zeros ever since he could remember. He was sure he had a human counterpart somewhere. All replicants did. 

Another scream echoed in his head and he almost stopped, almost gave in, but she wouldn’t let him. 

“Come on,” she whispered harshly. They were outside now, running Maker knew where. She ducked them into an alley, pulled the long black sleeve of her jacket up to reveal the digital tattoo that marked Them. The Others. 

 

**6\. Neon Underworld**

Her impossibly blue eyes should have been the first giveaway. She said nothing as she stood and pressed her arm against a hidden scanner, granting them passage past a handleless door that swung open both invitingly and ominously. 

As he was processing this turn of events, she pulled him inside. The door slammed shut behind them, plunging them into darkness. Then they began their descent. 

When the elevator doors opened, Vegeta would have gasped if he had breath to take away. The piercing glow of hidden streets lit up the entire neon underworld before them, as populated as the overworld had been before this entire mess started. 

 

**7\. Augment**

Bulma led him into a seedy little storefront. The signs on the windows advertised the finest contraband this side of the Median and “Augment and Replicant Servicing & Parts”. The shopkeeper greeted Bulma like an old friend. 

“Brought another one for me, have you?” the old man said. He wore sunglasses despite the dimly lit interior and hobbled around with a long wooden stick in his hand. 

Bulma pulled off her leather jacket and threw it on the counter before hopping up beside it and swinging her legs around. “Yep. Thinks he’s a replicant. I trust you’ll show him the truth.” 

 

**8\. Hackers**

The old man led Vegeta into an even more poorly-lit back room. There were tinkering implements littered across various work tables. Some empty, featureless replicant shells sat lifeless in the corner. Vegeta shuddered because they were creepy as hell. 

“Sit here,” the old man croaked. “And put this on.” He handed Vegeta an old headset that resembled the early days of VR technology. 

Vegeta turned it over in his hands. “What for?” 

“We’re going to override your programming and learn a few things about your circuits, boy. Now do as I say if you don’t want them to find you.” 

 

**9\. Cybernetics**

“So they’re implants?” 

“It goes a little beyond that,” the old shopkeeper said, lifting one of Vegeta’s arms and letting out a low whistle. “Impressive.” 

“So I’m human?”

“Mostly,” the shopkeeper replied, lifting Vegeta’s other arm. “You’re basically… how do I put this? You were fully human, once. There are parts of you that are still flesh and bone. Your brain is an incredible mix of cybernetics and real brain tissue. I’ve never seen anyone like you.” 

“I’m an augment, then,” Vegeta said, the hesitation still evident in his voice. 

“You’re unique,” the shopkeeper said simply.

 

**10\. Lightcycle**

“Is that,” Vegeta breathed as he followed the shopkeeper back out into the front room. 

Bulma came through the door, leather jacket slung over her shoulder. She held the keys out to him. “A lightcycle? Yeah. Now that you know what you are, I wanna know how your cybernetics interact with it. Wanna take her for a spin?” 

“You’re trusting me with a _lightcycle_ ,” Vegeta said deadpan. “I was trying to kill you barely an hour ago.” 

“I have a good feeling about you,” Bulma shrugged. She pulled her hair out of its ponytail and picked up a helmet off the shelf, placing it over her head and looking for one to give to Vegeta. 

“It’s going to be a long journey. So what do you say, shall we ride off into the neon sunset together?”

**Author's Note:**

> As always you know I love comments!! Please let me know what you think. 
> 
> I don't have plans to continue this at this time, but it's something I'd like to explore in the future so there may be more to come yet.


End file.
